Bulletproof
by xELinneax
Summary: AU/AH. An unwelcome visit to their school forces Damon and Stefan to relive old, unwanted memories and emotions. Elena just happens to stumble into it. ONE-SHOT.


**A/N: Helloo (: Hope you like this, the idea is actually for a school assignment and I had to originally write this in another language, but I thought why not write it out in English first and turn it into a little AU/AH one-shot.**

**There are mentions of guns, abuse and drugs/alcohol. If that makes you uncomfortable, this might not be a story for you. (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Vampire Diaries**_**. It belongs to L.J. Smith and the CW.**

**xxxxx**

Bulletproof

"This is so boring."

I turn my head slightly, my eyes landing on the form of Caroline's upper body as she lies sprawled out across her desk. Our English teacher is rambling on about some project we're starting next week, or something. I tuned out of the one-sided conversation awhile ago.

Caroline continues to whisper beside me. "I seriously just wanna go home and jump in bed with some junk food and watch movies. Is that too much to ask?"

I only sigh, leaning my head on the cool surface of the window. It's gloomy and grey outside today, rain falling harder than I think I've seen all year. I don't mind it, to be honest. I like the rain, because it reminds me that sometimes things have to get bad before they can get better. It was the one thing I focused on after my parents' accident a few years ago.

I don't realize I've dozed off until my name is called and every pair of eyes in the room snaps back to look at me.

"Miss Gilbert?"

I sit up in an instant, the fog clearing momentarily from my head so I can lock gazes with the middle-aged woman standing at the front of the class. Her glasses sit low on her nose and her hand's resting on her hip, giving me a look like I've just cursed out loud.

"Would you like to remind the class of our main subject for these projects?" she asks me.

Panic rises in my stomach and my eyes flicker around the chalkboard, hoping she'd written it down somewhere. She hadn't.

"Um, well..." I stammer.

"Miss Forbes, please enlighten your friend on the details of this assignment." Her frown deepens and she glances around the room just as the bell rings. "Remember these are due in two weeks."

Apparently our projects have to be about a "life-changing" experience, and all the written material must add up to at least six thousand words, or we'll fail. Great.

Caroline leads me through the hallways to our lockers, rambling on about plans for the weekend and something about meeting Bonnie for lunch, and I pretend to listen, mumbling curt "mhmm"'s and "ah"'s as responses while watching the crowds of students shuffle around to get to their next classes. I'm literally shaken out of my thoughts when something solid bumps into my side, and I end up dropping my English books on them.

"Sorry," I say hurriedly, my hands shaking as I bend down to reach for the books.

"Should be me apologizing. After all, I'm the one who clearly needs to pay attention to where I'm going."

My breath almost hitches in my throat when I hear his voice, and I come face to face with steel-blue eyes. Jet-black hair, broad shoulders, defined jaw - yup, I just stumbled into Damon Salvatore. And little secret: I've had a crush on him since kindergarten.

"Um, n-no, it's fine," I assure him, praying to God he doesn't notice the blush crawling up my neck to my cheeks. But by the way his lips curl in a half-smirk, he definitely has.

_Help me._

Someone suddenly calls his name from down the hall, and I'm breathing out a sigh of relief that I won't have to continue embarrassing myself. But the braver part of me wants to drag this beautiful boy to a dark closet and say things I've only had the courage to say to my stuffed teddy bear. His too-blue eyes are gazing at me with some sort of amusement in them and _jeez _his lips are almost too perfect to be human. I could stare at them for the rest of my life and die happy.

Silence spans between us for another few seconds until he clears his throat and shifts his weight on his feet, lifting a hand to scratch at the back of his neck.

"So I'll uh... see you around, Elena," he says, moving to step around me.

I don't want him to leave.

"Okay," I murmur, letting my eyes trail his back as he walks away. I'm mostly distracted by the fact he remembers my name... And the way it sounds coming from his mouth.

"Elena!"

I jump, squeaking rather loudly when a hand places itself on my shoulder. Caroline's standing behind me with an impatient look on her face, brow furrowed and mouth flipped in a frown.

"I know I can be annoying and talk too much, but that gives you no right to abandon me." She's pulling me by my wrist now, not even ackowledging the people she's pushing to the side. I mumble out apologies to each of them and hope they don't hate me.

My next class passes slower than I think I've ever experienced in my entire school year. All the teacher did was drone on about the economy and the importance of the knowledge of the subject. I feel slightly guilty that I was giggling when one of my classmates let out an obnoxious snoring sound in the middle of the lesson, but I know for sure I wasn't the only one trying to hold it in.

So now I'm currently sitting in art class, attempting to sketch a countryside and grumbling every time something smudges. Damon's supposed to be here as well, and I know this because he _always_ sits in front of me (not that I pay attention to those sort of details). But the times he's absent, he always gives the teacher some sort of note with an excuse, and this time he hasn't even shown his face. I shouldn't be worried honestly, because it's not like I'm his girlfriend or anything but...

My train of thoughts are ripped from my mind when someone screams. The classroom goes silent, movement ceases. We're all looking at each other, wondering who made the noise, but we realize it's coming from outside the room and soon, everyone's rushing towards the door and trying to get a glimpse of what's going on.

"Everyone please sit," our teacher instructs, moving people back from the door so she can inspect the situation herself. "I'll be right back, please stay calm. For all we know this is just a prank."

I'm restless as soon as she's gone. People are coming up with ideas as to what's happening and it is in no way helping my state of mind. Some are saying it's a prank, but others have an entirely different look on it. And when the teacher returns I immediately know something is wrong. There's a girl standing beside her - I'm assuming she's the one who screamed - and both their faces are panicked and pale, tears rolling down the student's fear-stricken face. She's told to go huddle in the corner of the room and to make herself as small as possible, and everyone including myself is beyond confused until the teacher speaks an explanation that causes my heart to nearly stop beating.

"There is possibly a man in the school with a gun. Quickly and calmly, please huddle yourselves in the far corner of the room until I have confirmation. Stay quiet." She disappears from the room in an instant, and panic breaks loose.

Everyone's trying to get themselves as close to the corner as possible. The guys step up and decide to help the girls first, telling them where to sit as they then place themselves in a spot where they're basically shielding the others from being seen. I'm the last to move. Someone's tugging my arms and quietly pleading with me, but I don't even register their voice because the only thing I'm focused on is the fact that Damon is still not here. He could be out in the hallway, oblivious to the danger.

"Elena, you have to hide."

"No, I-"

"There's no time for arguing."

"But-"

"Could someone please help me?"

"No!" I wriggle myself out of their hold, dodging hands when they try to grab me again. A boy stands up and approaches quickly, tugging me forward with strength and forcing me to sit with the others.

"Damon could be out there," I tell them hurriedly, "he never showed up to class!"

"He probably just ditched," a girl says.

"There's no way, he always comes in to give the teacher a note and-"

"Maybe he forgot this time."

"He wouldn't!"

"Everyone." We stop talking when the teacher comes back in and rushes to our side. I can tell she's afraid as well, her hair looking disheveled in a way that seems she's been running her fingers through it repeatedly. "I have confirmation that there is in fact someone unidentified inside the school." Some of the girls gasp, others trying to hold back tears. I can feel them welling up in my own eyes too, but not for the same reason.

"Does... does he have a gun?" a boy asks.

"We're not sure. All teachers have been informed of the code red and are taking care of their students. Now we wait until the principal alerts us the situation has been handled."

"I can't sit here," I breathe, my legs feeling like jelly as I stand quickly and head for the door.

"Miss Gilbert, you are not allowed to leave."

"I don't care, I have to find Damon."

"Is he not here?"

"No, so I'm going to find him."

"Elena, stop!"

I don't hear anything else, just the rush of blood in my veins and the thumping of my heart. I have to find him, I have to. I love him too much to let this go.

I turn the first corner that leads to the gym, deciding to start searching there. But I find it empty, and my heart drops a little further. It's dead silent in every hallway, every light turned off in the classrooms. I peek into some closets here and there, hoping he'd be sitting there with his knees curled up to his chest. But he isn't. Panic surges through me like fire and I practically stomp the ground in frustration. I'm crying now and I couldn't care less, I just need to know he's safe. I can't call him though - I don't have my phone on me. It's in my locker on the other side of the school, and it's a risk to go get it - it's a risk even being out here - but if I can get into my contacts, I can reach him. I saved his number after he first gave it to me, but after we started high school I never had the courage to engage conversation. We drifted.

And that's the biggest mistake of my life.

I'm running before I've fully made up my mind, because the mere thought of Damon being hurt kills any fear of getting injured myself. I'm breathing hard as I retrace my steps to my locker, my long brown hair whipping around my head as I pick up speed. I've never been more determined to find Damon since those times we played hide-'n'-seek together as kids.

I've nearly reached the hallway I'm looking for when I stop dead in my tracks. I spot two boys, their backs facing me, both tense as they exchange heated words with another person I can't see. Are they even aware of what's going on?

I run to them as fast as I can and one of them spins around before I can even get two words out. I realize it's Stefan, Damon's younger brother. I rush to hug him.

"Elena, what are you doing? Get inside a classroom," he urges, releasing me.

"Have you seen Damon?" I sniffle, not even caring that I probably look like a mess.

"Elena?"

His voice startles me. I turn and he's there, a worried expression on his face as he takes in my crumbling apprearance. But I don't care. He's here, he's safe.

"Damon," I whimper, and before I can stop myself I'm flinging my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, holding him close for the reassurance that he's okay. I sense the hesitation and shock in his movements, but ever-so-carefully, he wraps his arms around my back and breathes out a puff of hot air into my neck.

"Elena," he whispers after a beat, "you need to get out of here."

I pull back, bewilderment set in my gaze. "What? Why?"

"Well, if it isn't little Miss Elena Gilbert. You've grown up well."

I hadn't noticed the third person's presence. He's clearly intoxicated, by the way he stands and his speech is slurred. His hair is greasy and his cheeks are hollowed, having aged a bit after all these years. But the only thing I can really concentrate on is the black, metal gun he's holding in his hand. I've only seen it once before, by accident, when Damon, Stefan and I played hide-'n'-seek inside the boarding house. It was raining outside that day and we were bored, so we wanted to play a game. After finding it in the closet, we swore to each other to never speak of it again, because we didn't want _him_ to find out we'd been in his office.

"Mr. Salvatore," I whisper. I'm suddenly aware of my position and I slip off Damon's body, glancing up to catch his gaze already set on mine.

He's scared.

"How many times must I tell you to call me Giuseppe, hm?" he says, taking a step forward. Stefan and Damon both put an arm out in front of me, both prepared to protect me over themelves if it comes to that decision.

"I-I don't know," I respond, not quite sure of what to say.

"Get out of here, Giuseppe," Damon speaks up. "We don't want to start over, we don't want anything to do with you."

"Why can't you just call me dad for once?" The burly man waves his arm out, the gun nearly slipping from his grip. It puts me on edge and I flinch when he suddenly places his finger on the trigger.

"You've never earned the title of 'dad'," Stefan says solemnly. There's a look on his face, how his eyes are such a deep shade of green, and it reminds me of how he looked on that awful day ten years ago. I remember how crushed he'd been, how crushed both of them were. I slept over for three weeks before their mother insisted I'd go home and get some real rest. They were never quite the same.

"Oh come on now," Giuseppe drawls. "We had some good times didn't we? Remem-remember when we... when we went camping? That was a great time."

"You yelled at me for burning myself when I was trying to start the fire. It was our first time camping and I was seven." Venom laces every syllable in Damon's words.

"Well you were so incapable of the tiniest tasks and-"

"You were too drunk off your ass to even use the lighter!"

"I had a bad day, give me a break."

"No!" Damon moves forward, and I want to reach for him, but Stefan's still holding me back, shaking his head to tell me it's a bad idea. "Every day was a bad day for you! And all you did was lash out on us, on Mom. It's your fault it ended up this way."

I'm well aware of their past. I remember the first time Damon and Stefan came rushing to my house, their faces flushed red, tears running down their cheeks. We all cried together as they told me how they were playing a game, trying to see who could eavesdrop on their parents the longest without getting caught. They never expected to find their father laying hands on his wife, his voice loud and angry as he yelled relentlessly to the frightened woman in his grip. They'd made the mistake of stumbling back into a wall, and they watched, terrified, as Giuseppe's eyes landed on their small bodies in the corner, and then proceeded in chasing them out of the house. They barely escaped him, and if they'd been one pace slower, they would've had the displeasure of feeling his wrath. Unfortunately they did as soon as they returned home. They didn't want me to tell my parents about it, and thus were forced to go home when it got too late. I regret letting them leave.

"You all deserved what you got," he speaks harshly. "You were a bunch of idiots who never learned anything the first time. I tried being nice, and when my patience ended I took things into my own hands."

"You had no right," Damon growls.

"I had every right. I did more for you than your mother ever could."

I feel Stefan's fist clench, and by the way Damon's standing, he's absolutely flaming.

"Fuck you," he spits. "I can't even see my own body in the mirror without being reminded of the monster of a father I had."

"How is she, by the way?" Giuseppe asks suddenly, ignoring his son's last remark. He smirks when Damon's face blanks and a vein in his jaw ticks. And in that I moment I know Giuseppe _knows_. He knows what happened.

Their mother was utterly broken the day he'd been taken away. I was at the boarding house, out in the front yard playing tag with Damon and Stefan. We'd stopped when police cars pulled into the driveway and took off into the house, moments later reappearing with a drunk, bloody Giuseppe in their hold. We were later told that he'd been abusing her before they arrived, and it got so brutal that she'd stabbed him in the shoulder with a letter opener on his desk and hurried to find the closest phone. He was arrested that day and was sent to prison for the very short time of ten years. Their mother started drinking after that, and years later while her sons slept, decided she couldn't face life anymore. So she swallowed a bottle of pills and drank a little too much vodka, leaving nothing but letters for the young boys to read when they found her.

"You know fully well what happened to Mom," Stefan says, speaking up for his brother. "We were informed when they had told you."

"Is that right?" He scratches the dark scruff under his chin before letting out a chuckle. "Well... it was sure to happen sooner or later. She was nothing without me."

It happens before I can blink. Damon's charging at him, fury radiating off his every fiber of being. Stefan tries to step in, but the second he reaches for his brother, there's suddenly a barrel pointing at his face. Time seems to stop. Stefan pales, frozen to the spot as his breath catches in his throat. Damon finally understands what's going on and he releases his fierce grip on his father, a thousand emotions flickering over his face.

"Stop!" I cry, finding my voice. I rush forward and pull Stefan by the arm, distancing him from the man lying on the floor. Damon follows soon after and then they're circled around me once more, all terrified out of our minds. Giuseppe lets out a howl of laughter and struggles to stand up straight, brushing himself off when he finally succeeds. He wipes blood from his mouth and then locks eyes with me, lifting the gun to point in my direction. Damon pushes me further behind him and I can barely think straight I'm so scared.

"You," he snarls accusingly, "you were always causing trouble. You're the reason they never wanted me as a father."

"That's your fault, and your fault only," I reply shakily. I register the sound of sirens approaching in the distance, and I can finally pull in a breath of relief knowing help is on the way.

"We don't want to start over," Damon repeats his previous statement. "Leave."

Something seems to snap in their father then, and suddenly he's dangerously close to us, speaking low and threateningly. "To be honest I never wanted you as a son either. Stefan was always the better one, easier to take care of." The gun in his hand presses against Damon's chest. "You were just a pain in my ass."

I don't even think I'm breathing. Stefan's posture is rigid and I find tears dropping from his chin. I look down and realize he's holding his brother's hand, and they're squeezing each other so hard the skin on their fingers has gone ghostly white. Damon's trying to be strong and keep his emotions at bay, but the moment I place my hands over theirs, water spills over the brims of his eyelids and he chokes out a sob.

Giuseppe presses harder into his son's skin. "You're pathetic. You should be begging me to take you back after what you did to me."

I'm silently pleading the authorities to get here sooner. The sirens are louder, closer. But not close enough.

"Mr. Salvatore, please," I whisper. "Let this go."

"No!" He's hysterical now. "I want my life back! I want-"

With the courage I've mustered up, I break through Damon and Stefan's barrier and tumble into Giuseppe's form. He groans and drops the gun from being caught off guard and Stefan takes the opportunity to grab it and take out any bullets. Damon's shouting at me and telling me to get back, but suddenly I'm so angry, I just want this monster to disappear.

He tries to get the upper hand and roll us over, but I manage to trap his wrists in my hands and flip him over myself, twisting them painfully around his back. I'm thankful for the self-defense classes I took a few years back.

Damon rushes to my side and helps hold him down until finally, a police officer finds us and calls for backup. The three of us are led into the school's front office to be asked a few questions, and Giuseppe's taken outside, hopefully out of our lives for good.

The principal rewards us for our bravery with a few days off school, effective immediately. They notify Caroline and Bonnie, as well as my brother Jeremy that I'm okay, I'm just shaken. And then Damon suggests we spend the rest of the day together so we can talk everything out.

I bring them to my place and we sit on the porch like we used to, except this time things have a different feeling. We're not happy. Giuseppe just sucked the life right out of us, and I hate him for it. I hate him for who he is, I hate him for who he was. I hate him for how he treated his wife, I despise him for how he treated Damon and Stefan. I'm so glad he's gone. I'm just... so relieved.

Stefan sniffles from beside me, and both Damon and I look up at him.

"What's wrong?" I ask, placing my hand over his.

He stays silent, closing his eyes sadly as his lips tremble.

"Stef... what's wrong?" Damon places a hand on his brother's shoulder for support.

"It's just..." he speaks moments later. "He was really going to do it."

"Do what?" Damon questions, voice soft and comforting.

"The gun was loaded, Damon," Stefan informs him. He waits for the words to register before he continues, whispering brokenly, "He was going to take you away from me."

"Hey," Damon shuffles closer and hugs his little brother's head into his arms, "I'm not going anywhere. No one, especially not our scumbag father, is going to take me away from you. Our bond..." He pauses and takes breath, smiling through his emotions. "Our bond is bulletproof."

I lean on Stefan's back, letting him know I'm here too, I'm not going anywhere. We stay like this until the stars come out, and we say our goodbyes and part ways. I take an extra long shower and sit in the living room as I wait for Jeremy to come home from Matt's.

The next few weeks at school are different. People cast cautious glances my way and whisper about the incident, but no one comes forward to ask me anything. I'm grateful for that. I see Stefan and Damon in the halls sometimes, and we share quick smiles and say hello, but other than that we're back into our regular routines. Until one afternoon when I'm walking to my next class, I'm pulled into a closet and pressed against the wall. Damon places his arms on either side of my head and breathes warm air over my face, his eyes blazing with a new emotion I don't think I've seen before.

"What..." I swallow thickly. "What are you doing, Damon?"

"I wanted to thank you," he says, "for being there when my father showed up. I don't think I would've gotten through it without you."

His face is so close and his eyes are so blue, I can hardly come up with a coherent reply.

"You-you're welcome." My eyes flicker from his mouth to his eyes, and he seems to get the message because suddenly there's a pair of lips on my own, and I think I've died and gone to heaven.

I moan into his mouth and he pulls my body against his, strong arms wrapping around my lower back. His lips are soft against mine, and I let our tongues explore each other's mouths, because I've never been kissed like this before and I don't think I want to stop.

He groans when I tug on his hair and then he pulls away all too soon, out of breath and beautifully flustered, if that's even a way to describe it.

"I've wanted to do that since I met you," he confesses.

I smile. I smile a real, face-splitting smile for the first time in so long. "Same."

He rolls his eyes playfully at that. "How romantically spoken."

I giggle. "Thank you."

"Do you wanna... hang out after school?" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at me, and I can't help the blush that colours my cheeks at the thoughts that litter my mind.

"Sure," I whisper.

"Good," he says back. He wraps me in a warm hug and pecks me once more on the lips before he opens the door and winks back at me. "See you later, Elena."

I think I have an idea for my English project.

xxxxx

**A/N: Ayyyeee, so I hope you liked it! **

**SEASON 6 IS MESSING WITH MY FEELS. MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS, IT'S TOO MUCH. **

**Thoughts on Elena wanting to take the memories of loving Damon away? And if you haven't seen the episode, spoiler alert. xD**

**Love you all! xx**


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